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Tight circle of monarchists helping Harper pick next Governor General

OTTAWA - Ardent monarchists close to Stephen Harper are helping to pick the next Governor General, who is likely to be more of a Buckingham booster than recent representatives of the Queen, insiders say.

Conservative sources say Ray Novak, the prime minister's principal secretary, and Kevin MacLeod, Canadian secretary to the Queen, have been involved in the search. They say both men are strong supporters of Canada's links to the monarchy.

"Only a few people in government care about it, but they care about it fiercely," said one source.

Harper's office has been canvassing widely not just on who should be the next Governor General, but also on what makes for a good one. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff revealed that even he was approached for his view.

An announcement on Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean's replacement could come as early as this week, during the Queen's visit.

The guessing game is already in full swing. Some Tories are betting on a famous athlete, others a respected military man or someone with ties to the North — all backgrounds that gel with Harper's interests, and the government's policies.

"It would be somebody to compliment the government's approach, and has an understanding of that relationship (with the monarchy)," said one senior Conservative.

Tories note that there has been a feeling by some in government that Rideau Hall has sometimes forgotten its place within this constitutional monarchy.

That debate was laid bare last fall, when the Prime Minister's Office and the Office of the Governor General butted heads over Michaelle Jean's characterization of herself in a speech as Canada's head of state. In fact, Jean is the representative of the head of state — the Queen. Her website was subsequently changed to better reflect that reality.

MacLeod's appointment by Harper to the full-time role of secretary to the Queen last year was seen by some as a balance to the power of Rideau Hall. The job hadn't always been filled by previous governments.

MacLeod, from Cape Breton, was once chief of protocol in the Department of Canadian Heritage, and managed royal visits through the 1980s and 1990s. He wrote a book through the department about Canada's relationship with the monarchy, "Crown of Maples."

"That was a huge move to restore the relationship (with the Queen)," a source said of MacLeod's appointment.

Harper himself is said to have a "profound respect" for the monarchy as a student of the Canadian system of government. And respect for the monarchy fits with the Conservative view of the Canadian identity.

His office put out a series of media talking points to Conservatives on Monday about the Queen's visit.

"Esteemed throughout Canada and around the world, her majesty not only plays an important role as Canada's head of state, she is an enduring symbol of the history and traditions which help to bind Canadians together from coast to coast to coast," the internal memo reads.

But Tories are also careful to emphasize that Harper did not have a bad relationship with Jean. On the contrary, they say, the two get along very well.

Jean did not stand in Harper's way when twice in the past two years he approached her to prorogue Parliament.

Former Harper adviser Tom Flanagan, a political scientist at the University of Calgary, said Jean and her predecessor, Adrienne Clarkson, exceeded Conservative expectations.

"Part of the job is to be commander-in-chief of the Canadian Forces, and both women have shown some genuine interest in that," said Flanagan.

"They did not meddle in government. Conservatives would naturally be a little suspicious because of the Liberal tradition of appointing CBC journalists, but really I think people seem to rise above their backgrounds when they get in that job and carry out their responsibilities."

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As long as it's not just some Conservative hack.

Who needs the queen and the monarchy anyways..What do they do for us!

Sarah Hughes!

Appoint Preston Manning. Then "Reform" would be complete. Or Stockwell Day - but only if he wears a wetsuit. Sure hope we get another GG who won't "stand in Harper's way" - 'cause that's what the job is all about! Wait... there's a "Canadian secretary to the Queen"??? Does the Queen have a Canadian bathroom attendant? This is pathetic! We need to get rid of this irrelevant fabrication already.

"It would be somebody to compliment the government's approach, and has an understanding of that relationship (with the monarchy)," said one senior Conservative.

That's all fine and dandy until the next election. What will this person do then for the next four and half years?

I would laugh if the PM decided to appoint someone based on 'merit', like Kevin Page and other merit based choices he's made. If he was smart he'd appoint someone who he has a good sense of what they'd do in a constitutional crisis...such as the upcoming one the opposition parties are bound to spring after the next election.

Oh goody. A flock of busybodies with an axe to grind are getting dangerously close to power, such as that power is.

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